“He’ll be fine,” Nathan quietly huffed in his mustache. “Kid’s made of stronger stuff than he seems.”
The headlights of Chuck’s car lit up the front of her house as she pulled into the driveway. “Alright, it’s late. Why don’t we all get some sleep and hit this again tomorrow? You want to come over after breakfast?” she offered quietly, fatigue clear in her voice.
Glenda and Nathan agreed and made their way to their own vehicles, waving as they left. Chuck stood on the front porch watching theirtaillights disappear down the road before turning to Malachi and leaning against his chest.
Automatically, his arms went around her and held her tightly. “I know,” he said. “I’ve got you. Let’s get ready for bed. Go on, you first, and I’ll check the perimeter and make sure everything is cleaned up and safe. I’ll feed Reena, then join you.”
“I thought you wanted me to handcuff you?” she smirked.
“I’ll be quick!” he responded with a leer.
Whoa! Did Not See That Coming
After making the rounds outside of the house, Malachi did the same inside. Once he was certain there were no additional threats, he relaxed his shoulders a bit and blew out a harsh breath. He was standing in the kitchen, lights off, listening to Chuck going through her nighttime regimen. Assured that she was in the bathroom and wouldn’t hear him, he softly called Reena to the room. Once he heard the telltale clicking of her toenails on the floor, he braced himself again and called out to the only person he knew that could possibly help.
“Nick, buddy, I really need you. I promise, no tricks. No messing with you. I need your help, please.” His words were as heartfelt as he could make them.
A soft whisper of air across his cheek announced the arrival of the angel. He simply popped into the room and tilted his head. “Malachi.”
Glaring, Malachi gritted his teeth. “So, youcanshow up without blasting me with your full power.
A bashful smile tilted the corners of Nick’s lips. “Yeah, well, you kind of deserved it that second time. The first time was a mistake. Sorry about that.”
Waving off his apology, Malachi glanced at Reena. “Hey, girl, you remember Nick, right? Chuck’s uncle? We’re going to go outside and talk in the backyard. Can you come with us and keep an eye out for Muriel? I don’t want her snooping on us.” He winked at his tiny friend and made his way to the door. Reena followed along, her curly tail springing with each excited step. It was obvious she was happy to participate in any subterfuge.
Nick was eyeing them warily as he followed Malachi out back. Once they stopped in the middle of the yard, he simply waited with folded hands.
“I wanted to give you an update,” Malachi started. “After you left earlier to check on any rumors or prophecies upstairs, two men tried to break in and attack Chuck. We stopped them and they gave us a lead that an angel put them up to it. This time, the description truly sounded like an angel and not a demon pretending to be one.”
“No!” Nick exclaimed in a thready voice. “It’s not possible! There’s no reason for anyone in Heaven to come after her. They would just do it themselves. We don’t contract people to do our work for us.” He shook his head vehemently to deny the implication.
Holding up his hands, Malachi patted the air between them. “Calm down there, I’m not saying it was. I believe it was a demon.”
Stopping his muttered denials mid-sentence, Nick eyed Malachi suspiciously. “Huh, way to bury the lead there.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared expectantly. “Do tell.”
“We had Glenda do another sketch. We recognized this guy, too. It was Jaxon. Chuck’s friend at the station,” Malachi explained.
Nick’s chest puffed up, and his halo flashed bright gold. “Then what are we waiting for?” he demanded. “Let’s go!” The angel spun and spread hiswings, preparing to fly or teleport or whatever angels did to get from one point to another.
Reaching out quickly, Malachi snatched Nick’s arm and snapped, “Wait a minute, Nickelodeon. We already confronted him.”
Groaning, Nick smacked Malachi’s hand from his arm and whirled back to face him. A frown had bunched his blond eyebrows together and turned his lips down so hard, Malachi idly wondered if it would leave lines. He hoped so. Angels were too perfect already, it was entertaining to think of marring one.
“Maybe you could get to the point then?” Nick drawled, the sarcasm heavy in his tone.
“Or maybe—and hear me out—just maybe, you could shut the fuck up and let me tell the whole story before you go running off half-assed. Next time you interrupt, I’m going to let you fly off and wear your feathered ass out for nothing. No skin off my back.” Malachi shrugged, laughing in his head that the angel actually believed he could be the snarkier of the two.
Blowing air harshly through his nose, Nick negligently waved for him to proceed.
Grinning, Malachi made a show of straightening his shirt and adjusting his stance. After running his hand through his hair and clearing his throat, he explained the rest of the story up until they returned to the house. He smiled expectantly at Nick then.
“And?” Nick growled through clenched teeth. His hands were now curled into fists at his sides, and his wings were trembling behind him.
“And I found a clue at Amaryllis’ apartment,” Malachi offered nonchalantly.
Nick went still in that weird, supernatural, statue-like way he had, staring at Malachi with wide eyes. The grinding of his teeth was audible, even over the slight ambient noise in the backyard.
“Hey, Re-Re, come here a second, would you?” Malachi called cheerfully. He winked at Nick. As she ran over, Malachi ignored the grumbling under the angel’s breath. If he was right, the angel would soon be begging for forgiveness. “Hey, sweet girl,” he cooed to the chuglet prancing happily at his feet. He scooped her up in his arms and tickled her belly like he usually did. “Okay, Reena, I have a very important question for you. Can you tell Uncle Nick what happened to your collar?”
